Project Proposal Template - Cover Page and Project Narrative

Sep 1, 2026

Project proposal template for outlining a funded project, including a one-page cover page and a five-page project narrative. The cover page collects project classification, key contacts, student involvement, funding requests and match, performance period, geographic study area, USGS science priorities and cross-discipline landscapes/topics, keywords, collaboration contacts, and a concise abstract. The narrative sections require describing the regional or state water problem, expected benefits and deliverables, objectives and timeline, research methods and analysis design, related work, anticipated products with data management and public availability plans, literature cited, and investigator qualifications plus budget and justification materials.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatDOCX

Pages4

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Cover Page

Project Type and Contacts

USGS Priorities, Keywords, Performance Period, Collaboration

Abstract

Project Narrative

Regional/State Water Problem

Results, Benefits, Objectives, Timeline

Research Methods and Data Analysis

Project Proposal Template I. COVER PAGE (1-page maximum, can be single-spaced, minimum 12-pt font, 1" margins) a. Title. Concise but descriptive. b. Project Type. Choose from the following the one category that most closely applies: Education and Training, Outreach and Engagement, Research, or Other (please specify) and indicate if this is a Junior Faculty-Initiated Project or a Graduate Student Grants-In-Aid project. c. Project Contacts including: JUNIOR FACULTY-INITIATED PROJECTS: a. Principal investigator(s). Provide name, academic rank, university, email address and phone number. b. Responsible Financial Officer. Provide name, title, email address and phone number. GRADUATE STUDENT GRANTS-IN-AID: a. Graduate student(s). Provide name, degree pursuing, university, email address and phone number b. Faculty advisor(s). Provide name, academic rank, university, email address and phone number c. Responsible Financial Officer. Provide name, title, email address and phone number. d. Congressional District of project field site. If there is no field site, use the congressional district where PI is located (please format as “[2-letter state abbreviation]-[Congressional District]”, e.g., “NJ-006”). e. Federal Amount Requested & Non-Federal Match Provided. f. Proposed Student Involvement. Number of Ph.D., masters, undergraduate students, and post-docs. g. USGS Science Priority that Best Aligns with This Project. Choose the most applicable from: Water Scarcity and Availability; Water-Related Hazards and Climate Variability; Water Quality; Water Policy, Planning, and Socioeconomics; Water Technology and Innovation; Workforce Development and Water Literacy; or Ecosystem and Drainage Basin Functions h. USGS Cross-Discipline Landscapes (Primary and Secondary [if applicable]). Arctic, California Bay-Delta, Chesapeake Bay, Columbia River, Everglades, Great Lakes, Gulf Coast, Klamath, Puget Sound, Salton Sea, Upper Mississippi River, None of the Above. i. Name of Geographic Study Area (if applicable). j. USGS Cross-Discipline Topic (Primary and Secondary, if applicable). Climate, Energy, HABS, Indian Water Rights, Natural Hazards, Oceans/Coastal/Great Lakes, STEM, Water Challenges, Other (please specify). k. Keywords. Choose a primary, secondary, and tertiary from the list provided below, in preferred order. l. Additional Keywords. Provide up to three additional keywords not on the list above. m. Period of Performance. Proposed project start and end dates (Needs to fall within the grant period of performance, anticipated to be September 1, 2025 – August 31, 2026). n. USGS Collaboration. Point of contact name(s), work unit(s), and anticipated role(s). o. Abstract. Provide a brief (250 word maximum) description of the problem to be addressed, the general approach to be taken, and the anticipated results. II. PROJECT NARRATIVE (5-page maximum, can be single-spaced, minimum 12-pt font, 1" margins) a. Statement of regional or state water problem. Include an explanation of the need for the project, who wants it, and why. b. Statement of results or benefits. Specify the products to be delivered and outcomes to be realized, along with how they are to be used and anticipated impact. c. Nature, scope, and objectives of the project, including a timeline of activities. d. Research methods, experimental design, data analysis/statistical design. Provide enough information to permit evaluation of the technical adequacy of the approach to satisfy the objectives. Include sufficient information so that reviewer can judge the technical competence and originality of the work, the likelihood that the work can be completed in the specified time, and that the results will constitute important new and useful information. e. Related work. Has this or related work been proposed to another grant source(s), including internal (e.g., seed grant program) or external sources? If so, what is the status of the proposal(s) and relationship to the work pr

FAQs

What information is required on the cover page of the project proposal?

The cover page requires a concise project title, project type, detailed project contacts (including principal investigators, graduate students or advisors, and a responsible financial officer), funding and match amounts, student involvement, USGS priorities, landscapes and topics, keywords, period of performance, collaboration contacts, and a brief abstract.

What sections are included in the project narrative and what do they cover?

The project narrative includes the regional/state water problem statement, results and benefits, project nature/scope/objectives with a timeline, research methods and experimental design with data analysis/statistical design, related work, anticipated products, data management plan requirements, and investigator qualifications.

What data management expectations apply to projects funded by the NJ Water Resources Research Center?

Projects must make research data and publications publicly available, report the public location of data in the final report, publish theses accessible to the public, use open-access manuscript formats, and deposit data in public repositories to support archival and discovery.

Sep 1, 2026

Upload by Aria Callaghan